Obama Kisses Up to ASEAN

In case you missed it, President Obama met with ASEAN leaders in New York just yesterday. What are notable to me are that (1) in approaching ASEAN as a whole, the US is bashing Myanmar less and less on human rights grounds; (2) Obama didn't emphasize the South China Sea so much--though he maintained the hypocrisy of referring to "international law" it hasn't signed; and (3) he pledges to visit Indonesia again after failing to do so three times before. The read-out of his working lunch meeting with ASEAN bigwigs is posted on the White House website for what it's worth; what follow are the key bullet points...

The United States acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in July 2009.

At the invitation of the ASEAN states, the United States will participate in the East Asia Summit comprised of ASEAN and eight other prominent countries in the Asia Pacific region [ASEAN-10 + China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia & USA]

Secretary Clinton will initiate U.S. participation in the East Asia Summit by attending its meeting in Hanoi on October 30, 2010.

President Obama will attend the East Asia Summit meeting in Jakarta in 2011.

The President will also visit Indonesia in November 2010 [one hopes he'll finally come after already striking out here].

Secretary Gates will attend the first ASEAN-hosted meeting of Asia Pacific region Defense Ministers in Hanoi in October 2010.

The President has nominated the first-ever resident U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN.